QUEER AFRICAN LINGO. The Strange Pigeon English of the Kroomen.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 196, 26 March 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

QUEER AFRICAN LINGO. The Strange Pigeon English of the Kroomen.

Not tho lea3t remarkable feature of this strange African race is the extraordinary jargon in which they usually communicate with the white men, ad .interesting a Btudy in its way ftS the "pigeon English' current in the towne of Eastern China. Some German philologist might make a very inHtructive book oufc of the dialect of the Groin coast, which, like the Malay, has the advantage of makinpr one word get through a vast amount of business. The verb "to live "ia a regular servant of all work. Instead of saying, " There is a man on the shore," the Kroo says, "One boy live for shore.'' When rheumatism attacks him he tells you that " Big pain live for back," and when one of his comrades departs this life he announces that "Me brother live for die." -Almost as miscellaneous are the duties assigned to the word "book," which, according to Kroo ideae, comprises e^ery variety of written or printed paper, from Webster's Unabridged downto an address scribbled on a card. The adjoctive " tit," too, is put to i-oine curious uses When ft Krooman refuses a job be eay= : "Me no fit do them thing one time.' But the most systematically overworked term in the whole dialect is undoubtedly "palaver," which is applied indifferently to a council, a fivjht, a confidential talk, a feast,' a bargain, a political complication, a success, or a misfortune. TV hen a man realises a large profit upon a shipment he is said to "make a. good palaver." When he gets fined or imprisoned lie has "made bad palaver." AmoDg rhe more civilised Kroomen the ordinary name for Sunday is "God palaver day," just ac the Chioamen used to call tho poor Bi?bop of Hongkong "Jose pigeon man No. 2. 5>